OSEG chief Bernie Ashe says the time was right to step aside

Time for Bernie Ashe to stop and smell the roses, time to step away from the brain-wrenching business of running a business, time to enjoy more time with his wife Nancy, their seven-year-old daughter Scout and the older children Lauren, Christine and Anthony. And soon there’ll be a grandchild.

For Ashe, the past five years of his work life have been magical, filled with emotional moments, none bigger than winning a Grey Cup on what would have been the birthday of his younger brother Greg, who had died nearly two months before at the age of 55.

There was no shove out the door; it was just time.

It was announced Wednesday that on April 30 Ashe will leave his job as chief executive of Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group, replaced by chief operating officer Mark Goudie.

They’re pretty big shoes to fill.

“It’s been a lot of hard work and commitment of time, but it’s been amazing — to see this become real,” said Ashe. “It’s been so much of a charge to see the place come to life, to emerge out of the mud and the concrete. I’ve had a front-row seat. It’s really been the best five years of my career.

“The business requires such a high level of energy. I’m a lead-by-example guy and I’m feeling my age in terms of the kind of people I’m hanging around with. The people we have working here are young and full of energy. I try to solve problems and I’ve learned how to get out of the way. This is a very talented team, with some very smart people. Mark is 10 years younger than I am and most of the executives here are 20 years younger than I am, so it really feels like it’s the right time.

“When I took the job, I set for myself a five-year plan. This took a big commitment of time and energy, time away from my family. I would talk to (owners) Roger (Greenberg) and John (Ruddy) once a year and would say that was where my head was at. It got serious when we started talking about how we would bring a successor in. That started happening about a year and a half ago, and boy did it ever work out — winning a Grey Cup, hosting a Grey Cup and the NHL Classic.

“I never thought when I set the five-year timeline that 2017 would be the way 2017 was.”

Being a big part of OSEG since he was hired in 2013, plus being the executive vice-president and chief operating officer of the Ottawa Senators from 1991-97, Ashe been smack dab in the middle of the sporting scene in the nation’s capital. Pretty cool for a kid who grew up in Elmvale Acres participating in as many sports as he could.

“I was sort of an average athlete at everything I played,” said Ashe. “I played CIS hockey with uOttawa back in the 1970s. That’s sort of my claim to fame. There’s been a lot of beer-league basketball, a lot of beer-league flag and touch football. I have a love of sport. But what draws me to this business is the business side of it. I’ve had two stints with the sports and entertainment business, but it was just as stimulating running a lumber company or a high-tech company. What I like here are the X’s and O’s of business.”

Memories of the Grey Cup are still in his thoughts, though his Grey Cup ring remains in its case in a drawer at home.

“I don’t know when to wear it or where to wear it,” said Ashe with a laugh. “You’re supposed to wear it to CFL functions. But it’s hard to shake hands with the ring on. It hurts my hand.

“(The Grey Cup win) was surreal. I can’t think of any other way to describe it. It was like an out-of-body experience. When we won, it was a complete emotional outburst. I had just lost my brother, who lived in Calgary — he was a big CFL fan. He loved the Stampeders, but he also loved the Redblacks. (Grey Cup Sunday) was his birthday. I had a real emotional moment. It lasted for more than a moment. During the parade, I had another emotional moment. I still remember how I felt when I turned onto Bank Street off Pretoria Avenue and started to get a grasp that ‘Oh my God, there are thousands of people.’ I remember how I felt for that walk down Bank Street, what a rush it was.”

Soon enough, it’ll be time to move on, to let others worry about the logistics and the number crunching and the headaches that go with all of that. He won’t be at his desk at 6:30 a.m., answering emails and readying himself for 8 o’clock meetings.

“I’m not going to say I’m not going to miss it — I am really going to miss it,” said Ashe. “I love the people here, I love the job. It’s the right time for me to stand back, take a little time off and take it from there. I hope I can do a bit of consulting and work about a third of what I’m working now.”

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